ArcaMax

Dear Annie: I have been married nearly 30 years. I met my husband when I was 20, and since then, my life has revolved around caring for our children, two of whom have developmental disabilities, and for him. He has long struggled with mental health issues and has been unable to work for most of our marriage.

During these decades, I have ...Read more

Dear Annie: I often read essays about how parenting comes full circle, how the greatest accomplishment of all is raising children who grow into capable, successful adults. That sounds fine and wonderful, and I am truly happy for those families. But I cannot help wondering, what about the rest of us?

Some of us have worked just as hard, ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a 57-year-old woman who has had many problems with my sister over the years. When my mother was alive, I would call to talk with her, but my sister often answered the phone. If she did not like the way I spoke or the tone of my voice, she would simply hang up on me.

On the day we buried my father, her children tried to pick a...Read more

Dear Annie: I suffer from severe anxiety over everything. I am and have been on medication for some time and I do see a therapist, but nothing seems to help. I have my share of issues, but my mind always jumps to the worst possible outcomes.

In December, I had a hemorrhage. The doctors gave me pain medicine and told me it was colitis after a ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been dating a man, "Daniel," for about a year. He's kind, reliable and has a great relationship with his family. I care about him a lot, but there's something that keeps nagging at me. He's never been very ambitious. He works a steady job, pays his bills, but doesn't seem interested in growing professionally. He often says he'...Read more

Dear Annie: My sister "Claire" and I have always been close, but things have shifted since she had her first baby eight months ago. I understand that motherhood changes things, but lately I feel like I've been pushed to the sidelines. Every conversation revolves around the baby, and when I try to bring up anything going on in my life, she ...Read more

Dear Worn Out: My three brothers and I are all senior citizens, and throughout our lives we have endured a very difficult relationship with our mother. From the time we were children, she was physically and emotionally abusive. She controlled us, manipulated us, lied to us and often gaslighted us.

Now that we are adults with families of our ...Read more

Dear Annie: When my husband and I first got married, he made it clear that his mother would always be welcome to visit whenever she wanted since she lives far away. Over the years, she has come three or four times annually, often staying for a week at a time. She is generally helpful around the house, and we sometimes spend holidays with her, ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband works in the family business alongside his father, his brother-in-law, and sometimes his brother and cousin. He is a generous, hardworking man who would give the shirt off his back for his family. Unfortunately, they seem to take advantage of that generosity.

Despite the pressures of the business, we make it a priority ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been part of the same group of friends for more than 30 years. About a decade ago, when I got married, I asked one of them, someone I considered like a sister, to be my maid of honor. She and I had always been close. She was there when my daughter was born, we grew up side by side, and I thought of her as one of my very best...Read more

Dear Annie: I was invited to, and attended, both an engagement party and a bridal shower. I spent a bit of money on gifts for both. I wasn't invited to the wedding, which hurt me somewhat, but I understood the couple was trying to keep it small.

Now, two years later, I've been invited to the baby shower. While I'm happy for this couple, I can...Read more

Dear Annie: My mom remarried last year, and her new husband, "Ken," has made himself very at home -- too at home, if you ask me. I'm 26 and still live with my mom while saving up to buy a condo. We've always had a good rhythm: we cook together, watch movies, take walks. But ever since Ken moved in, everything's changed.

He rearranged the ...Read more

Dear Annie: My fiance, "Mark," and I are getting married in six months, and there's one issue I can't shake. His best friend, "Tyler," makes me uncomfortable. Tyler has a history of cheating, drinking too much, and making offhand comments that cross the line -- especially toward women. At Mark's bachelor party planning dinner, Tyler joked that...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been together for 34 years, married for 25 of them. We both brought children from previous marriages into the relationship; he has two and I have two. A week before our wedding, he surprised me with a prenuptial agreement. I had no time to consult an attorney. The choice was to sign or cancel the wedding. At ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been married to my wife for 25 years, and overall, we have a strong, trusting relationship. But something happened recently that I cannot seem to shake, and it has been gnawing at me more than I would like to admit.

My wife's best friend's husband, whom I will call "Charlie," came to her with a very strange request. He told...Read more

Dear Annie: I married my best friend 19 years ago, but we have known each other for nearly 40. Our shared history runs deep. We have weathered life's highs and lows together, raised children, supported each other through illnesses, job changes and the inevitable challenges of growing older. In many ways, our bond is strong and steady.

However...Read more

Dear Annie: I read the letter from "Sideline Mom With a Heavy Heart" with deep empathy. My husband coached both of our sons, now grown men, in baseball, wrestling and football. While he was not as intense as the father described in that letter, he certainly had his moments.

Early on, I sat him down and said, "No one feels worse about missing ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been married to a wonderful woman for almost 50 years. That alone should explain our relationship: 50 years. I've never loved anyone else. Our courtship and marriage were wonderful. She was everything I wanted my wife and the mother of my children to be, and she has been, except for one detail. She lied to me about her sexual ...Read more

Dear Annie: I recently had my 50th birthday. My boyfriend and I have been dating for seven years, with a two-year break. His friend recently asked me if my boyfriend gave me a present from him. I hadn't received the present, so I didn't say anything to my boyfriend, hoping maybe time just got away from us and he forgot. It has been over six ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am at my wits' end. I don't know what to do for my 29-year-old grandson. He needs help, but I don't know how to help him.

This is what I call a wasted life. He has no motivation to better himself. He has been living at my house for five months. After he got here, he got fired, so he sat here until the end of July doing nothing but...Read more